


Second Watch

by paradisejm



Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: F/M, Human Damon Salvatore, Human Katherine Pierce, Inspired by The Vampire Diaries, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-07
Updated: 2018-12-07
Packaged: 2019-09-13 18:18:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16897602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paradisejm/pseuds/paradisejm
Summary: The world of today is not the world in which I was raised. In fact, it is quite different. I take comfort in the fact that the world of my youth is no more and that no children will experience it again, for that time was dark, dangerous and far too unforgiving…





	Second Watch

Second Watch

Katherine had a feeling of anticipation as she looked at the notebook before her and rolled her pen through the pads of her fingers. So this was Damon’s brilliant idea she thought. How was she supposed to write it all down? So much had happened that she barely knew where to start. With a sigh, she opened the cover of her journal and positioned the tip of the pen over the first line. 

“It would be best to start at the beginning I guess.” The world of today is not the world in which I was raised. In fact, it is quite different. I take comfort in the fact that the world of my youth is no more and that no children will experience it again, for that time was dark, dangerous and far too unforgiving…

Flashback  
Seventy years ago, I was a bright-eyed girl of twelve with all the hopes and dreams an adolescent should have, but I was about to learn several hard lessons.

"Papa!" Katherine cried as she heard the front door close. She ran from her room and barreled down the stairs, colliding with the familiar man tangling their arms and legs together. 

"Ah, my dear, I have missed you," he murmured gently as he cupped her head of curls against his torso. 

"Papa," she spoke happily, leaning her head back enough to see his scruffy whiskers and soft blue eyes, "will you tell me where you went this time? You always promised to tell me when I was older, and I'm older now!" He chuckled 

"You're not allowed to get any older. You must stay my baby girl forever." 

"Papa!" she complained, rolling her eyes dramatically.  
"I'm already twelve and almost full grown! You can tell me, I swear!" He grinned toward her, but his eyes grew serious as he considered her request. 

"I think you are right, my sweet. There are some things I would love to tell you," he finally admitted, as Katherine squealed with happiness. She could hardly wait for him to remove his overcoat as she dragged him into the living room. Her eyes sparkled with anticipation and excitement.

"Alright, Papa, I am ready," and he knew that she truly was at last. 

"First," he said, reaching into his jacket pocket, and pulling out a small object wrapped in a cloth.  
"I have a present for you." Her eyes widened as he handed it to her, and she swept the fabric away to reveal a beautiful gold pocket watch. She gently held the pocket watch, tracing the engraving on the case in awe. 

"It's beautiful!" she whispered, turning it over to insect from all angles. 

"You haven't even opened it yet," he reminded her, and by a push of a button she opened the lid to reveal a clock face on one side and an engraving on the other. "A man with one watch knows what time it is. A man with two watches is never quite sure." Her eyebrows drew together in confusion. 

"What does it mean?" she asked.

"It means that when you have two watches, each reading a different time, you must decide between them which is right and which is not," he responded slowly, watching her carefully. 

“Well, that's silly. Why would anyone want to have two watches saying two different times?" she asked as she glanced up at him. "It would be far easier to just have one watch that was right all the time?" 

"Yes, it would, but how would you know your watch was right unless you had another to watch to compare it?" She thought about it for a moment. 

"I - I don't know," she finally said, clearly frustrated she couldn't come up with another answer. He reached out to smooth the wrinkles between her brows. 

"Don't look so confused, sweetheart. Come here," he patted his lap, and she hurried to sit on his knee as she always loved to do. "It's a good thing to have two watches, you know - it's like having options. You know how you love your mother's chocolate cake?" She nodded honesty. "How would you know you prefer it to your mother's chocolate cake over your aunts carrot cake if you never tried it?" 

"I don't know. I guess I wouldn't." she said softly.

"No, you wouldn't," he agreed gently. "And if you had only ever tried the carrot cake and never the chocolate cake, you would never have known you love chocolate cake." Her face scrunched in dislike. 

"It would be awful to only have carrot cake," she stated honesty, and he couldn't help but laugh at her words. 

"Yes, it would. So, you see, it's important to have options. That way you can compare them to one another and decide which is the right one for you. Do you understand?" 

"I think so," she paused for a second, "but Papa, what do watches, and cake have to do with where you've been?" He sighed as his fingers glided over the inscription he had known his whole life. "There are many people in this country who don't know there is a second watch out there - one that we all might prefer far more than the one we currently have." 

"Papa?" 

"I've been with some of my dear friends, trying to bring a second watch to the people, because they have the right to choose for themselves." He spoke softly.  
End flashback

I cannot pretend that I understood what he meant, but eventually as I grew that changed. Our country was tangled in a web of lies and deceit, but only a few people knew. The government had sought for generations to control every aspect of people's lives, and over time, bit by bit, we gave it to them. We slowly forgot what it was like to be independent and free, and they did their best to make sure we never remembered. They watched what we read, what we saw, what we learned and even what we said. They controlled it all, and through that, they controlled us. People often wonder how we could have let such a government come into power. The truth is that we didn't let them; we asked them. Crime was rampant in our streets, our children weren't being educated, there wasn't enough work for everyone, and we were tired of it. They preyed on our need for change by making us feel that things were getting better when they were only getting worse. Before we knew what was happening, we were blindsided by the relinquishment of our individuality. Unfortunately, the only way you know something is bad is if you can compare it to something better, and while most of us had forgotten what a better life was like, some still remembered. I was fifteen years old when I learned there were things beyond what the government had let me know. 

Flashback  
"Papa, what's going on?" Katherine cried as he raced up the stairs and threw open her door. His eyes were wild as he caught her at her computer. 

"You need to sign off now and come with me," he ordered, glancing about her room frantically. 

“Wha-” he cut her off 

“Now!" he ordered, and she quickly did as she was told. 

"Please, Papa, tell me what's happening," she begged in worry. She followed him down the stairs and into the living room. 

"I'm sorry, but I don't have enough time to answer your questions. You must trust me. Can you do that?" He asks looking back at her. He placed his hands on the side of their floor to ceiling bookshelf and began to push. 

"Yes..." she spoke softly as the wooden structure moved aside to reveal a small room barely large enough to fit two people. “What is that?" she asked in awe. 

"Something I'd hoped you would never need. Now, I need you to do exactly as I say. Do you understand?" She nodded nervously. "Good. I need you to climb in here, so I can close you in. Don't worry; you will be safe, I promise. You must be completely silent, no matter what you hear. If I do not come back to let you out within an hour, stay in here and wait 2 hours of silence and then pull this here," he explained, pointing to a small metal lever. "Can you do this for me?" She nodded once more. "Do you promise?" 

"I promise," she replied sincerely. "Take this," he continued, pressing a familiar pocket watch into her hand as he ushered her into the compartment. She wondered when he had removed it from her room. 

"The face illuminates in the dark. Use it to tell if enough time has passed." He placed a hand on the bookshelf, ready to slide it back in place. 

"Wait!" Katherine exclaimed, "Is everything going to be ok?" she asked worried, her eyes searching his face for any sign of hope. 

"I don't know," was his reply, and she felt her stomach clench. "I love you, Katherine. Always remember that." 

"I love you, too, Papa. I love you, too!" she cried as her father slid the bookshelf shut and she was plunged into darkness. 

It took everything she had in her not to cry as she sat in that small room, waiting for her father to set her free. She had never seen him so frantic nor so afraid, and she had no idea what could make him feel this way, but she knew she wanted none of it. She wrapped her arms around her knees, slowly rocking back and forth until she heard the front door slam open. She froze; harsh voices filled the room before her, with her father only responding from time to time. She was unable to make out what they were saying, but she still listened as hard as she could, worried for her father. After only a few moments, the front door slammed shut once more, and the room beyond was silent. She sat quietly in the dark room for what felt like hours. She kept praying her father would come to release her, but there was absolutely no voices or footsteps coming from outside. She waited a few moments longer before flicking open the lid to her pocket watch to reveal a gently glowing face, and she watched carefully as the longer hand worked its way around half the circle. She stood and pulled the lever papa had shown her, and the bookshelf slid open far enough from the edge that she could push it the rest of the way. 

"Papa?" she called hopefully as she poked her head through the opening, but she was met with silence and an empty room. "Papa, are you there?" she tried again, louder this time. no response. She couldn't help but feel fear rushed through her body. Something was wrong, very wrong. Where did he go? What was she supposed to do? She raised her hands to her mouth to cover up the sounds of her cry, and she felt the smooth coolness of metal on her cheek; the pocket watch. Katherine flicked open the lid once more to make sure she'd waited the right amount of time, and an unexpected sight caught her eye; there was a folded piece of paper taped inside the lid. Carefully, she removed the note and unfolded it, as she began to read it. 

My Dearest Katherine,  
If you are reading this, then I am gone and perhaps never returning. I had hoped this day would never come, but now that it has, I need you to listen, as you have always done beautifully. There are many things I must tell you and more that you must do for me. I have always been an honest man, and I have spent my whole life seeking the truth and the opportunity to bring that truth to others, but now I fear this has put you in harm's way. It is no longer safe for you to remain at home. You must leave at once and do exactly as I say. Pack only what you need most but leave your electronics behind. There is some money in the cover of the book on my bedside table; take it with you. You must go to the bookshop near our favorite bakery and give the owner's son your name. He will know what to do from there. You must not talk to anyone else. I don't know how much time you have.  
I am so very sorry that you must experience the loss of yet another parent. Please know that I love you with all my heart and always will. You will soon be with those who can give you the answers you seek. I pray that you will one day forgive me for not explaining things to you myself, but I wanted to protect you for as long as I could. Be strong, sweetheart. I know you can handle this, and no matter what, I will always be with you.  
Love Papa

End flashback

Those were the last words I ever had from my father. I remember how terrified and confused I was as I read them. I did as he asked, making my way to the small bookstore, and the owner's son Damon seemed to know me even before I spoke. He took me to a group of people who brought me to another, and then another, until I was halfway around the world. I ended up with a group of people who were originally from my country, but they had been forced to leave like me. They explained that they knew my father well. They had all been working together to help the people back home. They told me of the horrible things the government was doing in secret to control its citizens and that these people were the determined rebellion. They called themselves the Second Watch, and my father had been one of their leaders.

I was shocked and hurt to learn of all the things my father had kept from me. Things that led him to be taken from me. It took me years to forgive him for the lies he told me, but I could never blame him, he was doing this for a better future, one where I would live. Within a few months of my arrival to the Second Watch, I was already doing everything I could to aid their cause.  
History books showed the true effort of the rebellion to save our people. We stumbled far more often than we succeeded, but we were strong. The truth and desire for choice began to spread amongst the people, and in a war, that stole far too many good people, the citizens made their claim for their right of choice. I was forty-two years old the day the old government surrendered, and how I wish Papa could have seen the freedom of it. 

The loss of my father at such a young age was nothing I ever wanted to experience, but his sacrifice for both me, and all the people of this country. It was he who pushed me to be the person I am. The lessons that he taught guided those fragile first years as our country came to know itself again, and his desire for truth is what now allows all our children the freedom to learn to make choices for themselves. I cannot thank him enough for all that he did for me and all that he did for our people. I wouldn't be sitting here writing this today if he hadn't started it all so very long ago. 

Katherine sighed and rolled her shoulders, sore from a hunched position over her desk all night, seventy years was lot of time and history. yet, it felt good to get the words on paper. She hoped nobody would ever forget all that was lost on the road to the happiness we know today. As she set down her pen and closed her journal, and a small smile appeared on her face as she saw the words scribbled across the front cover in Damon’s messy handwriting; 

For my beautiful wife,

The Memoirs of Katherine Mikaelson  
Last Leader of the Second Watch Rebellion,  
and First Elected President of the New Republic


End file.
